Photoluminescent materials for outputting reddish-orange light and a process for making the same

ABSTRACT

Photoluminescent materials useful for detection of infrared light are prepared using a base material, first and second dopants and a fusible salt. The base material is an alkaline earth metal sulfide such as calcium sulfide. Lithium fluoride is used to enhance the interdiffusion of materials. Samarium and a europium compound are used as the first and second dopants for providing electron traps. The photoluminescent material is made according to a process involving heating of the material to a fusing temperature, grinding the material after cooling, and reheating the material to below the fusing temperature, but sufficiently high to repair the crystal surfaces. The material is then placed in a transparent binder and applied to a substrate, or deposited as a thin film directly on a substrate for different uses.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 870,809, filed Jun. 6, 1985, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,875 issued May 16, 1987 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 786,095 filed Oct. 10, 1985, now U. S. Pat. No. 4,705,952 issued Nov. 10, 1987.

This application discloses materials which are useful for optical memories as described in the present inventor's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 870,877 filed Jun. 6, 1986, and assigned to a common assignee. This application is also related to the present inventor's U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 034,332; 034,333 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,520; 034,334 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,772; 034,497 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,659, all filed on Apr. 3, 1987, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 085,465 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,660 filed Aug. 14, 1987.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to electron trapping optical materials and a process for making and using such material.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In order to define the family of materials involved, it is useful to review the history, particularly since sometimes confusion exists over terminology. It is important to begin with the term luminescence, the ability of certain solids to emit light under different conditions.

Luminescence is a long-known phenomenon of nature reaching back very far in history. Recorded observations reach back to the last century. Seeback and Bacquerel observed momentary visible afterglow in certain materials. In 1889, Klatt and Lenard also observed some effects with infrared. During this time period, words like "phosphor" and "luminescence" appeared. In 1904, Dahms distinguished between "stimulation" and "quenching"; meaning inducing or stopping afterglow. Much of the later work is associated with Lenard, who received the Nobel Prize in 1905 in physics for cathode ray emission. He studied different phosphors until at least 1918. Later work can be found by Urbach in 1926 through 1934. These early scientists basically observed very small luminescent effects.

In 1941, a program was instituted by the National Defense Committee for development of light emitting phosphors. The work started at the University of Rochester, and other laboratories became involved; however, the projects ended with World War II. The following materials were published on this work between 1946 and 1949;

B. O'Brien, "Development of Infrared Phosphors", J. Opt. Soc. of Am., vol. 36, July 1946, p. 369;

F. Urbach, et al., "On Infrared Sensitive Phosphors", J. Opt. Soc. of Am., vol. 36, July 1946, p. 372;

G. Fonda, "Preparation and Characteristics of Zinc Sulfide Phosphors Sensitive to Infra-Red", J. Opt. Soc of Am., vol. 36, July 1946, p. 382;

A.L. Smith, "The Preparation of Strontium Selenide and its properties as a Base Material for Phosphors Stimulated by Infra-Red", Journal of the Am. Chem. Soc., vol. 69, 1947, p. 1725;

K. Butler, "Emission Spectra of Silicate Phosphors with Manganese Activation", Journal of the Electrochemical Society, vol. 93, No. 5, 1948, p. 143.

"Preparation and Characteristics of Solid Luminescent Materials", Editors: G. R. Fonda and F. Seitz, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1948.

These papers provide a confusing story on the materials studies. As decades went by, the effects were forgotten by most physicists. Only work in the field of cathodoluminescence for screens of cathode ray tubes and fluorescent lamps continued with any focus.

Thus, the field of luminescence is broad and refers to the ability of certain solids (and liquids) to emit light when driven by an external energy source. When the driving energy source is light, the proper term is photoluminescence.

There is yet another interesting class of materials which upon excitation by illumination can store electrons in "traps" for varying lengths of time as discussed by J. L. Summerdik and A. Bril, in "Visible Luminescence...Under IR Excitation", International Conference on Luminescence, Leningrad, August 1972, p. 86. In the case of deep traps, trapped electrons can be released at a later time by photons having an energy similar to the depth of the trap. Thermal discharging is negligible in the case of deep traps. Under these circumstances, it appears that light has been "stored" for later use and emission of visible light can be activated by infrared. In the case of shallow traps, spontaneous emission will occur at room temperature because the thermal agitation is sufficient to excite electrons out of the traps. These materials are now called electron trapping optical materials.

The fundamentals of electron trapping material are the following: A host crystal is a wide bandgap semiconductor (II-VI) compound, normally without any special value. These crystals, however, can be doped heavily with impurities to produce new energy levels and bands. Impurities from the lanthanide (rare earth) series are readily accommodated in the lattice and form a "communication" band and a trapping band and provides an energy level at which the electrons may interact. At lower energies, the trapping level represents non-communicating sites.

Materials that contain sites where luminescent activity occurs often include one or more types of these sites where electrons may be trapped in an energized state. Upon application of suitable wavelengths of energizing radiation such as visible light or x-rays, such sites produce free energized electrons. The free electrons are raised to an energized state within a communication band where transitions such as absorption and recombination may take place. Upon removal of the energizing radiation, the free electrons may be trapped at an energy level higher than their original ground state or may drop back to their original ground state. The number of electrons that become trapped is very much dependent upon the composition of the photoluminescent material and the dopants used therein.

If the trapping level is sufficiently below the level of the communication band, the electron will be isolated from other electrons and will remain trapped for a long period of time, and will be unaffected by normal ambient temperature. Indeed, if the depth of the trap is sufficient, the electron will remain trapped almost indefinitely unless the electron is energized by energy from light, other electromagnetic energy, or thermal energy much higher than room temperature.

The electrons will remain trapped until light or other radiation is applied to provide sufficient energy to the electrons to again raise them to the communication band where a transition may take place in the form of recombination, allowing the electrons to escape from the trap and release photons of visible light. The material must be such that room temperature thermal energy is insufficient to allow any significant portion of trapped electrons to escape from their traps. As used herein, "optical energy" shall include visible light, infrared light, and ultraviolet light unless otherwise noted, "photoluminescent material" is a material that exhibits the above characteristics.

Although various photoluminescent materials have heretofore been known, the properties have often been less than desirable. For example, photoluminescent materials have been used for locating infrared beams by outputting visible light upon placement of the material within an infrared beam, but such previous photoluminescent materials are not sensitive enough to detect relatively low levels of infrared radiation. The visible light output by such materials is often at a very low level such that detection of the visible light is difficult. Further, such materials commonly have electron traps with insufficient depth and/or a relatively low density of electron traps such that it is difficult to maintain the electrons trapped for extended periods of time. The ratio of the energy of light input to energy of light output in such materials is often quite high. That is, a relatively large amount of energy must be put into the material to provide a given output optical energy. The development of photoluminescent materials that avoid or minimize the disadvantages discussed above would open up numerous other applications for such materials.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to provide new photoluminescent materials avoiding or minimizing the disadvantages discussed above.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide photoluminescent materials having sufficient electron trap depth and sufficient density of electron traps to be useful as an optical memory material.

Another object of the invention is to provide a photoluminescent material that outputs a reddish-orange light when subjected to infrared radiation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a photoluminescent material that has an extended range of IR sensitivity.

Yet another object of the present invention is to realize a new and improved process for making photoluminescent materials.

The above and other objects of the present invention which will become more apparent as the description proceeds, are realized by an electron trapping photoluminescent material consisting essentially of a base material, a first dopant, a second dopant, and a fusible salt. More specifically, the photoluminescent material comprises: a base material selected from a group of alkaline earth metal sulfides; a first dopant of samarium; a second dopant selected from the group of europium oxide, europium fluoride, europium chloride, and europium sulfide; and up to 10 parts fusible salt for every 90 parts of base material by weight. Optionally, barium sulfate may be added at the rate of up to 10 parts for every 90 parts of base material by weight.

The invention further comprises the photoluminescent material described above disposed upon a substrate. If desired, the photoluminescent material may be applied upon the substrate by use of a transparent binder. Mixing the transparent binder into the photoluminescent material will not significantly affect the optical properties of the photoluminescent material. Reference in this application to "consists essentially of the base material, first dopant, second dopant, and fusible salt" shall be interpreted as including those materials alone or in combination with a transparent binder.

The invention also comprises the photoluminescent material described above, deposited in a thin film form on a suitable substrate, such as sapphire or alumina, and heated to moderate temperatures such as 500 to 800 degrees Celsius. The surface crystals so developed display the photoluminescent properties described above. Reference in this application to "consists essentially of the base materials, first dopant, second dopant, and fusible salt" shall be interpreted as including those materials alone or in combination in a crystalline form on a foreign substrate.

The process of the present invention comprises the steps of mixing a base material, a first dopant of samarium, and a second dopant; after mixing, heating the resultant mixture to a first temperature sufficient to fuse the mixture and allow for diffusion of the different dopants. This first heating step takes place in a furnace with an inert atmosphere and a temperature above 950° C.

A further processing direction comprises the steps of grinding the resultant solid substance into a powder; and after grinding, reheating the resultant powder to a second temperature below the first temperature, but sufficiently high to repair crystal defects in the powder, thereby yielding an electron trapping optical material without fusing the powder into a mass. The grinding step yields a powder having particle sizes less than 100 microns. The process may further include a step of mixing the optical material with a transparent binder and applying it to a substrate.

Another processing direction comprises the steps of creating chunks of the original fused material and depositing it on a smooth foreign substrate in the form of thin film, such as by evaporation or sputtering, reheating the resultant film to a second temperature below the first temperature, but sufficiently high to form a surface crystallized film, thereby yielding an electron trapping optical material with high optical resolution. The film thicknesses may be in the range of 2-10 microns.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features of the present invention will be more readily understood when the following detailed description is considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like characters represent like parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrating the principle of operation of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows the spectrum of light output by the photoluminescent material according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows the IR sensitivity of the photoluminescent material of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows the cross section of photoluminescent material disposed on a substrate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows the principles of operation of the present invention. The basic multi-crystalline photoluminescent material used has a valence band G full of electrons at a ground state. The material is subjected to light which functions to energize certain electrons in the valence band G. An electron shown on the left is originally in a valence band G and is subjected to charging light. The electron absorbs a photon raising its energy level to a communication band E where communication takes place with other energized electrons resulting in transitions. Upon removal of the energizing light, the electron may drop back to a trapping level T or back to the valence band G depending upon the composition of the material and available trapping sites. The electron, if in the trapping level T, will remain isolated from other electrons and trapped until sufficient additional energy is provided to the electron to raise its energy back up to the communication band E.

As shown on the right side of FIG. 1, an electron may be stimulated by infrared electromagnetic energy to move it back to the communication band E where it may interact with other electrons and undergo recombination causing it to fall back to band G and out put a photon of visible light in the process. The materials of the present invention work upon the principle illustrated by FIG. 1 whereby light may be "stored" by the phenomenon of electron trapping and the light may be freed by application of infrared radiation to push the electron up above the trap and allow it to return to the valence band. The number of trapping sites, the depth of the traps, and the probability of transitions occurring in the communication band are all dependent upon the composition of the photoluminescent material used.

As previously mentioned, the photoluminescent material of the present invention comprises a base material, a first dopant, a second dopant and a fusible salt such as lithium fluoride. Optionally, barium sulfate may be added to improve brightness.

The base material may be selected from the group of alkaline earth metal sulfides such as calcium sulfide. The first dopant is samarium and second dopant is selected from the group of europium sulfide, europium fluoride, europium chloride, and europium oxide.

EXAMPLE 1

A photoluminescent material for outputting reddish-orange light is made from a mixture having the following composition:

    ______________________________________                                         Calcium sulfide  90      parts                                                 Barium sulfate   5.5     parts                                                 Lithium fluoride 10      parts                                                 Samarium         150     parts per million                                     Europium sulfide 550     parts per million                                     ______________________________________                                    

As used above and throughout this application, "parts" and "parts per million" shall refer to parts by weight unless otherwise noted.

The mixture is placed into a graphite crucible within a furnace flushed with a dry nitrogen atmosphere (derived from a liquid source) or other dry inert atmosphere such as argon, and heated to between 950° C and 1300° C. (preferably 1100° C) for 30 minutes to one hour such that a fused mass is formed. For longer heating times, the fused mass could be formed at temperatures as low as 950° C. Temperatures as high as 2000° C. could be used to form such a fused mass in shorter times.

After cooling, the fused mass is ground using standard techniques into a fine powder having a particle size of 1 to 10 microns if the material is to be used for optical memory material. If the material is to be used for an infrared sensing card or for an optical viewing screen which requires less resolution, the fused mass may be ground to between 10 and 100 microns. The particle size could be larger for large screens, which screens would generate visible images from infrared light. A particle size of 2 microns or less is preferable if thin film techniques are to be used.

After grinding, the powdered material is heated to about 300° C. to 700° C. (preferably 600° C.FIG. 1 ) in the graphite crucible within the nitrogen or other inert atmosphere furnace. This second heating is below the fusing temperature of the material (about 700° C.) and is maintained for 10 to 60 minutes (preferably 30 minutes). This second heating step removes internal stresses and repairs damage done to the crystalline surfaces during the grinding step.

After the second heating, the material is cooled and the powdered material is then mixed with a suitable binder or vehicle such acrylic, polyethylene, or organic polymer.

After the material has been mixed with a transparent binder, it is applied as a tin coating to a substrate. The coating of the photoluminescent material upon the substrate will preferably be between 1 micron and 500 microns in thickness. Depending upon the use to be made of the material, the substrate may be clear plastic, aluminum oxide, glass, paper, or most any other solid substance.

In the above mixture, the calcium sulfide serves as a base material whereas the lithium fluoride operates to provide the fusibility characteristics useful for the specific embodiment. Alternatively, other alkaline earth metal sulfides might be used as a base material.

The barium sulfate in the above mixture is used to improve the brightness of output light from the material. Preferably 5.5 parts are used as noted above, but between 1 and 10 parts may be used of the barium sulfate as well as between 1 and 10 parts of lithium fluoride relative to the 90 parts of calcium sulfide. The barium sulfate is not absolutely essential, but will greatly improve the optical characteristics of the material.

The samarium and europium sulfide in the above mixture are used for establishing the communication band and the electron trapping level. Preferably 150 parts per million of samarium are used, but the samarium could alternatively be between 20 parts per million and 300 parts per million. The europium sulfide may be between 100 and 900 parts per million with 400 to 600 parts per million being preferred and 550 parts per million being the optimal value. Europium chloride, europium fluoride or europium oxide could be used in lieu of europium sulfide.

The mixture resulting from the above process provides a depth for electron traps of 1.1 electron volts below the communication band and has an output spectrum as shown in FIG. 2 which illustrates that the center frequency of the output has a wavelength of approximately 650 nanometers corresponding to a reddishorange light. The IR sensitivity as shown in FIG. 3 has an expanded range, peaking at about 1150 nm and having about a 50 percent output at the desirable wavelength of 1300 nm where most fiber optic communications are taking place.

FIG. 4 shows the photoluminescent material disposed on a substrate forming a device 10. As illustrated, the device 10 is a card shown in vertical section having a substrate 12 and the photoluminescent material 14 applied with a transparent binder to the substrate 12. The substrate 12 may be paper, aluminum oxide, plastic, such as PVC, or other solid material. The substrate may be transparent or opaque, if opaque a reflective surface or light color is preferred. The material 14 establishes a planar surface 16. An optional transparent coating 18 may encapsulate the material 14 and substrate 12.

The card, or device 10, of FIG. 4 is useful for aligning scientific or industrial instrumentation having infrared beams. In operation, the card 10 may be "charged up" by exposure of the photoluminescent material 14 to a strong light such that electrons will be energized and trapped. The card 10 may then be placed in front of an infrared light source. The photoluminescent material 14 will out put a visible light at the place where the infrared beam strikes the material, thereby allowing the user to identify exactly where the otherwise invisible beam of infrared radiation is located. Accordingly, the card 10 may be used to calibrate scientific or industrial instruments.

Advantageously, the material of Example 1 and other materials discussed in this application provide a relatively high output light upon stimulation by infrared radiation such that the card can be used with a background of visible light. The light output by the freed electrons in the photoluminescent material 14 will be visible despite the background light. A screen for displaying infrared information as visible light patterns can e made by the same process.

EXAMPLE 2

A second photoluminescent material for outputting reddishorange light may be made with the following composition:

    ______________________________________                                         Calcium sulfide  90      parts                                                 Barium sulfate   5       parts                                                 Lithium fluoride 10      parts                                                 Samarium         100     parts per million                                     Europium oxide   750     parts per million                                     ______________________________________                                    

The above mixture is processed in the same manner as that of Example 1 by first heating to fusing, grinding the resultant fused mass, and then reheating at a temperature below the fusing temperature but sufficiently high to allow repair of damage to the crystalline parts. Cooling may be used after each of the heating and reheating steps. The same process steps, in terms of temperature and time intervals, may be used in processing this second material. The resulting powder may be ground as with Example 1, combined with a transparent binder or vehicle, and applied to a substrate to realize a card or device for infrared sensing as illustrated by 10 in FIG. 4.

In the above mixture, the barium sulfate may vary from zero up to 10 parts, the lithium fluoride may vary between 2 and 10 parts, the samarium may vary between 20 and 300 parts per million, and the europium oxide may vary between 300 and 1500 parts per million. The specific values for portions which are given above provide highly superior characteristics such as sensitivity. The second material may be charged for extended periods of time similar to the first material and will trigger re-emission of visible light at a wavelength of about 650 nanometers (reddish-orange light) upon application of an infrared source. The emission spectrum under IR stimulation is illustrated in FIG. 2 with the IR sensitivity illustrated in FIG. 3.

EXAMPLE 3

The materials of Example 1, within the ranges specified are deposited upon a substrate of various forms of aluminum oxide by any known techniques including physical or physical vapor deposition (evaporation, sputtering, etc.) or chemical vapor deposition, ion beam deposition, molecular beam deposition, and electron beam deposition. The listed materials can be mixed and then physically deposited on the substrate or the materials can be individually deposited; however, this is much more difficult and provides not additional benefits. A particularly successful method has been to mix the materials, hot press them into a solid and then evaporate or sputter them onto the substrate.

The materials and substrate are placed into a furnace and fused under the condition of Example 1, over a temperature range of 600° C. to 1100° C, preferably at 900° C. Because the photoluminescent materials bonds so well, the use of separate binders or vehicle is not necessary. The lithium fluoride can also be omitted to obtain equally good results.

The structure resulting from the fusing step may optionally be encapsulated in clear plastic to realize the device 10 of FIG. 4. No grinding or reheating is necessary. The process of Example 3 as applied to an aluminum oxide disc may be used to provide an optical memory that could likewise be coated by clear plastic.

The process of Example 3 could be used with the starting materials of Example 2. The fusing step could be accomplished under the conditions of Example 1 or Example 3.

The substrate for Example 3 could be aluminum oxide in the form of sapphire or ceramic in which case the layer of optical memory could be as thin as 0.5 microns resulting in a micro crystalline form of the optical material.

The optical materials of the present invention may be used for IR sensing, photography, and/or as a memory by using their electron trapping characteristics. The materials may be used in powder form (i.e., the form of Examples 1, and 2 after grinding), and micro-crystalline form (Example 3).

Although various specific details have been discussed herein, it is to be understood that these are for illustrative purposes only. Various modifications and adaptations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be determined by reference to the claims appended hereto. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An electron trapping photoluminescent infrared stimulable phosphor having a peak infrared sensitivity within the range of 1.12 to 1.22 microns and emitting in response to infrared radiation an output of reddish-orange light, comprising:a base material comprising substantially calcium sulfide; a first dopant of samarium provided in a quantity of between 20 and 300 parts per million by weight; and a second dopant selected from the group of europium oxide, europium fluoride, europium chloride, and europium sulfide provided in a quantity of between 300 and 1500 parts per million by weight.
 2. The photoluminescent material of claim 1, further comprising a fusible salt.
 3. The photoluminescent material of claim 2, wherein said fusible salt comprises lithium fluoride.
 4. The photoluminescent material of claim 2, wherein the fusible salt is provided in a quantity of up to 10 parts per 90 parts of base material by weight.
 5. The photoluminescent material of claim 1, wherein said second dopant comprises europium oxide, there being between 300 and 1500 parts per million of europium oxide by weight.
 6. The photoluminescent material of claim 1, wherein said second dopant comprises europium sulfide, there being between 300 and 900 parts per million of europium sulfide by weight.
 7. The photoluminescent material of claim 1, wherein said second dopant comprises europium sulfide, there being between 400 and 600 parts per million of europium sulfide by weight.
 8. The photoluminescent material of claim 1, wherein said material is disposed upon a substrate.
 9. The photoluminescent material of claim 8, wherein the substrate is aluminum oxide.
 10. The photoluminescent material of claim 8, wherein the substrate is alumina.
 11. The photoluminescent material of claim 8, wherein the substrate is sapphire.
 12. The photoluminescent material of claim 8, wherein the material is from 0.5 micron to 500 microns in thickness. 